The Long Road North
by Greywolf25
Summary: The road is long. He has a hard journey ahead of him and he has a lot to overcome before reaching his destination. SEQUEL to 'I won't Give Up'


**Disclaimer:**** As ever, I own nothing. JK Rowling is HP Goddess. (Bows down to her greatness) She is the clever one, I'm just pretending. I am **_**so**_** not worthy.

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**The Long Road North**

**By**

**Greywolf25**

Yet another wave washed over me, but I hardly noticed. In the distance, just visible through the haze, I could see land. Relief flooded through me and increased my determination to succeed. It felt like I'd been swimming for days on end and I was damned if I was gonna give up this close to my goal.

The landmass in front of me grew and took on a more defined shape. I could almost feel the ground beneath my paws, and then suddenly, after a burst of adrenaline and speed, I could. Land glorious land. If I dared, I would have sung in pure happiness. I heaved myself out of the surf and collapsed. I could feel the sand under my cheek. It felt so good.

As much as I loathed to move, I knew I had to. I couldn't stay here. I was too close to the prison. Even the dumbest squib could figure out where I would likely land and I would stake the entire Black fortune that the Dementors wouldn't be far behind. I heaved myself up and dragged my sorry wet butt inland. The wind had picked up again, making me shiver. The salt and sand in my fur was making me itch. I had to find some way of washing it out of my fur.

I walked through what looked like a seaside village. There were few people walking about, luckily for me. That meant there would be fewer people to notice me. Or so I thought. Unfortunately, as I rounded the next corner I walked right into the biggest woman I had ever seen. But after twelve years in Azkaban that was easily done.

"Oh look at you, you poor thing. What have you done to yourself, hmm?"

I whined pathetically. Ever joint in my body ached from overuse and the cold. I couldn't hold my head up and my tail was between my legs. I stood there, shaking, as it was all I could do to hold myself up. I shook myself vigorously, spraying the unfortunate woman in salt water.

'_I shouldn't have done that.'_

A wave of dizziness rolled through me, and the dark curtains swung closed.

XxxxxxX

My mind came to awareness slowly. I felt heavy but warm and my nose twitched at a glorious aroma. I could smell food. Proper food. I cautiously opened one eye and took in my surroundings. I didn't recognise anything, that was until the large woman walked into the room carrying a bowl. She looked at me directly and smiled.

"Look who's awake."

I gave her a feeble wag of the tail. That was when I realised I was covered with a thick blanket.

'_Well that explains that.'_

She plodded over and placed the bowl in front of my. I heaved myself to my paws and may Merlin forgive me but I nearly ripped her hand off in my eagerness to eat. Nothing had passed my lips except gruel. I heard a chuckle and felt a hand on my head. I flinched slightly. Mainly because no human had touched me in twelve years and even that was to throw me in my cell. It was gonna take me a while to get used to my new found freedom. But I would, eventually.

'_Why can't a dog be given opposable thumbs?'_

The bowl was empty and I was following it around the room as I licked it clean. A hand was placed on my back and a hand appeared in front of me, reaching for the bowl. I licked the hand and let her take it. I didn't want her to think I was an untrained, vicious dog. The food combined with the warmth of the blanket and house made me feel exhausted. I flopped to the floor and slept. What seemed like minutes later, I felt something tug on my ear.

"Bessie, stop it."

"But Mama, wanna play wiv doggy!"

"Leave the poor animal alone. He isn't very well."

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself staring at a young girl about three years old. Her mischievous grin reminded me of Harry. A wave of sadness rolled through my being and. I couldn't help but whine.

"Your poor thing. We need to figure out how to find your master. But first, I think a nice hot bath. That'll help warm you up. Come."

The woman patted a rather ample thigh so I obediently got to my paws and followed her. More smells assaulted my canine senses as I wandered through the house. I followed the woman upstairs into what I discovered was the bathroom. She pulled a few towels down from the shelf and put them next to the bath, which was rapidly filling with water.

"Hmm, I don't have dog shampoo. What can I…? Oh I know, I can use Bessie's shampoo."

I laid myself on the bathroom rug and waited. I had to admit to myself that I was looking forward to this. She knelt down next to the bath and patted her thigh again. I rose slowly to my feet and padded over to her. I knew that she would find it awkward lifting me into the bath, so I just jumped in. A mini tsunami of bath water slopped onto the floor, but she just chuckled. Downstairs a door slammed shut and I pricked up my ears. I could hear heavy boots stomping across the floor.

"Louise, where are ya?"

"Daddy, daddy, guess what? Mama gotta doggy!"

I could almost see Bessie jumping up and down, telling her dad the news.

"Louise?"

"Up here Charlie!"

The steady footfalls climbed the stairs and I ducked my head and dropped my tail. Last thing I needed was the man of the house to feel his family was threatened by little old me. Well, maybe not so little. I looked up without raising my head when he came into view. At this point, Louise was lathering me up with Bessie's shampoo, which smelt like a fruit salad.

"Well, what do we have here? Where did you find him…erm, her?"

"Him. I found him when I went to the shop. Well, I suppose in truth, he found me. Walked right into me outside the pub. No one in there recognised him. I got young Robbie to help carry him home. He was soaking wet, shivering when we met. I felt so sorry for him, and when he collapsed, well, I couldn't in good conscience just leave him there, could I?"

"No, I suppose not. Actually, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, sweetie."

Warm water cascaded over me as Louise rinsed me off. I never felt so clean; it almost felt like she had washed Azkaban from my mind. She reached into the bath and pulled the plug out. Next thing I knew, a towel had been wrapped around me and I was lifted out of the bath. I could see Louise in front of me so that could only mean I was in Charlie's arms. I was carried downstairs where Charlie placed me in front of the fire. I lay there, still wrapped in the towel. The heat from the water combined with the heat from the fire made me feel boneless.

"Mama, mama, can I play wiv doggy now?"

"Not now Bessie. He needs to dry off and rest. Poor thing."

I watched with half open eyes as Louise and Charlie interacted with Bessie. A whine emitted from deep in my throat before I could quell it. A hand stroked my head repeatedly and repetitively. The action lulled me to sleep.

XxxxxxX

"Who do you think he belongs to?"

"I have no idea. I haven't seen a dog like that in the village before."

"He was soaked in seawater when I found him. He could have come from anywhere."

"Did you see how underweight he is? That's definitely not normal, not for a dog his size. And the way he flinches when you touch him."

"I know, it's just awful, I could feel every one of his ribs when I was bathing him. I tell ya now, Charlie, if I ever find who did this to him, so help me I'll make them pay."

The sound of their voices filtered through into my unconscious mind and I slowly opened my eyes. The only light source came from the fire. The room was dark. Charlie and Louise sat on the sofa watching me. I raised my head and gave them a wag of my tail. Well, I had to play the part. Didn't I? Seeing a smile cross Charlie's face, I picked myself up and walked slowly over to him. I lowered my head as I approached and flinched slightly when I felt his hand on my head.

"You're a good boy, aren't you?"

I wagged my tail and sat at his feet. I had to admit, in an odd sort of way, I was enjoying the attention. I picked up a paw and held it out. He chuckled and held out his hand. We shook hands…erm…paws. Louise laughed.

"Looks like you've got yourself a new friend there."

"Yeah, it does, don't it?"

XxxxxxX

I stayed there as long as I dared. I was well taken care of, and Bessie loved riding on my back. The family did all they could to make me feel at home. But inevitably, the time came when I knew I had to go.

"Louise, you'll never guess what happened at work today. Two men came in; they said they were from Scotland Yard. I have to admit though, I was dubious. They were dressed in the oddest clothes. We were all taken into Mark's office and questioned about an escaped prisoner. Never told us what this guy had done but they showed us a picture. Saints alive this guy looked like a rough 'un. They questioned Marko twice, and the second time, it was like he forgot what he went in for. I hope this person doesn't come here, we have enough trouble with those gangs coming in from London…"

I tuned the conversation out. Aurors were looking for me. I knew then that I had to go; I couldn't endanger this family any further than I already had. I stood up and went to the back door. I stood there whining and I scratched the door for good measure.

"You wanna go out, boy?"

I wagged my tail and Louise opened the back door. I ran straight for the end of the garden and went behind the bushes. I transformed and jumped over the wall. Looking back down the garden at the house. A feeling of emptiness passed through me. I could see Louise in the kitchen preparing the evening meal. The light from the open door flooded into the garden. I quickly but quietly dug a large hole under the fence then without further ado, I walked away. I transformed back into Padfoot, put my nose into the wind, and headed north.

XxxxxxX

The emptiness I felt on leaving the family, deepened as time passed. The weather was warmer the further inland I went, but I knew that the nights would soon cool down towards the end of the month. With a jolt I realised Harry's birthday had come and gone. Again. I could only imagine the smile on his face when he was presented with his presents from friends and family alike. A wistful sigh emerged. How would he react to meeting me? An ex-con who everyone believed killed his parents. I had to find a way to convince him of the truth.

I came to a road junction and looked up at the road signs. I realised quickly how close I was to Harry's home. Dare I take the chance and go and see him? I stood there looking gormless, (well, as gormless as a dog can look,) trying to decide what to do. Finally the pull of seeing my godson overpowered my common sense. I turned left and began following the new road.

My paws were splayed with wear as I plodded on. It had only been three days since leaving the coast. I slept during the day so I could travel at night so I would go unnoticed by the public. Last thing I needed was people remembering a large black dog. I wasn't sure if the Ministry had me animagus for recorded so I had to be extremely careful. Every so often I could hear faint pops. I knew that meant one thing and one thing only. The search was still on and they were closing in. So far I had been lucky, but I couldn't afford to become complacent.

I usually spent my sleeping hours in any open buildings that I could find. More often than not though, I ended up sleeping under a hedge where I couldn't be seen. My eating arrangements became a little hit and miss. Sometimes I would find a friendly butcher that would give me scraps. Most would chase me off though; making me resort to catching rats and rabbits. Hey, food is food. In my situation, beggars can't be choosers.

On my fifth day out from the coast, I came upon a small park complete with swings. That's when I caught it. I breathed in deeply and held it. I had picked up a scent I hadn't smelt in twelve years. Harry. He had been here recently too. I followed the scent from swings to bench. Then I followed it out of the park and towards a nearby housing estate. Knowing the general direction, I picked up my speed but I kept my nose to the ground.

Soon enough, I came upon an alley that seemed to link two streets. I slowed right down, but only because Harry's scent was getting stronger. I edged forward as quietly as possible until I came to the end of the alley. I stopped sharpish. There, sat on the kerb opposite, was Harry. What I couldn't understand is why he was sat there with his school trunk next to him. Surely his family must be nearby. I breathed in deep. Harry's was the only scent I could pick up. He smelt angry, but he also smelt anxious, almost fearful. I stepped forward and unfortunately, stood on a dry twig.

The resulting snap split the quiet air like an axe through wood. Harry stood up suddenly and looked straight at me. He reached for his wand and stumbled at the same time. There was a loud bang and the knight bus appeared in all its purple garishness. I took that as my cue to leave. The knight bus staff would definitely be on the look out for anything suspicious. With a last look behind me, I turned tail and ran.

I ran until I could run no more. The cold air froze my lungs with each breath, making the next breath harder to take. I finally slowed once I reached the outskirts of Little Whining. I lay down in an old barn to rest and contemplate my options. I was in the south of England. Hogwarts was in Scotland. That made for a lot of miles I had to cover. Why the hell couldn't my animagus form be a bird? At least then I could fly. Well there was no point wishing for what I hadn't got, after all, if wishes were cows, I'd eat steak everyday, wouldn't I?

What I needed was a map to figure out exactly where I was in relation to Hogwarts. I know I could just apparate there, but I couldn't be sure if the prats in the Ministry were tracking my signature. I suppose I could make a few small jumps. Anything to save my paws the extra work.

XxxxxxX

A soft pop alerted me to the presence of someone magical. I quickly transformed and padded quietly away. Luck wasn't with me though, as I stepped on a twig and it snapped. You'd think I'd be more careful after what happened last time, but no, I had to put my big paws where they shouldn't have been.

I quickly crouched down and hoped I wouldn't be seen. The wizard walked right towards me, wand held out. I stayed silent, hoping that my black coat was camouflage enough against the dark trees around me. I took a big sniff and smelled my pursuer. The fear was intermingling with stale sweat and even anger. I knew enough not to get in this guy's way. I watched as he passed right by me and deeper into the trees. I breathed out slowly and quietly made my own way. That just showed they were monitoring my signature.

That just meant no more apparation. Well, it didn't matter anyway. I was close enough now to walk the rest of the way without causing myself to many problems. I just had to get my bearings and make my way to Hogwarts unseen. I walked through the wood and came out the other side, only to be confronted with some rather big hills. Well, mountains. This was Scotland after all.

There was nothing for it, I had to bit the bullet and navigate the range. Time had lost all meaning for me with all the travelling I had done, one hill (or was it a mountain) merged into another until I had all but forgotten what it was like to travel on flat, even ground. But I knew I was near my goal. I would catch that snivelling rat faced git and clear my name if it killed me. The wind picked up as I crested the hill, ruffling my fur. I stood there panting. (Well I was a dog at that particular moment.)

I grinned but it quickly faded. In the valley below was an exceedingly familiar sight. On the other side of the large expanse of water, nestled against a large backdrop of mountains, stood my old alma mater. Hogwarts in all her fine glory. The emotions that coursed through me were bittersweet. I was finally here, at the only place I ever felt at home. I knew the time was fast approaching where a confrontation took place, and with a heavy heart, I descended the slope into the valley below.

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_**Suggestions, comments, complaints? Let me know. I can't change anything if you don't tell me about it. If you like it, well you can tell me that too.**_

_**Insults and useless criticism will be fed to Padfoot. **_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


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